• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.8
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• pp.552-557
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• 2007

Background: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a cardiac hormone that is primarily synthesized by the ventricular cardiac myocytes. Increased plasma BNP levels have been observed in patients suffering with congestive heart failure, ventricular hypertrophy and myocaridits and also during heart transplantation rejection. We investigated the serum BNP level as a predictive marker for rejection after heart transplantation. Material and Method: To test the usefulness of measuring the BNP level in cardiac transplant patients, consecutive blood samplings for BNP, right ventricular endomyocardial biopsies, hemodynamic measurements and transthoracic echocardiogram were all done in 10 such patients between January 2004 and August 2005 at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery in Asan Medical Center. Two groups were identified with using the median value: the low BNP group (n=28, BNP: ${\le}290$ pg/mL) and the high BNP group (n=29, BNP: >290 pg/mL). We retrospectively analyzed rejection, the ejection fraction, tricuspid regurgitation, left ventricular hypertrophy, the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and the right atrial pressure between the 2 groups. Result: There were no differences in age, gender, rejection, the ejection fraction, tricuspid regurgitation, left ventricular hypertrophy and the right atrial pressure between the 2 groups (p>0.05). However, a higher pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and a higher mean pulmonary atrial pressure were observed in the high BNP group (p<0.05). Further, BNP has linear correlation with the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (r=0.590, p<0.001). Using the cut-off value of 620 pg/mL, the BNP predicted a high PCWP (>12 mmHg) with a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 91.1% (AUC: $0.900{\pm}0.045$, p<0.001). Conclusion: The BNP level after heart transplantation does not show any significant correlation with rejection, yet it might be a predictive marker of ventricular diastolic dysfunction.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.127-135
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• 2007

Components of cholesterol, glucose, minerals (selenium, Ca, p) and vitamin E in blood and milk were collected and analyzed weekly after calving from a total of 78 Holstein cows. In this study, we examined changes of chemical components, correlations among them, and factors affecting the changes. The results were summarized as follows; 1 Average levels of components in blood during 9 weeks after calving were 178.8 mg/dl, 62.3 mg/dl, 8.9 mg/dl, 7.4 mg/dl, 52.2 ng/ml, $10.3{\mu}g/ml$, 16.3 mg/dl, 15.3 ng/dl, and 15.8 mg/dl for cholesterol, glucose, Ca, P, selenium, vitamin E, BUN (blood urea nitrogen), MSe (milk selenium), and MUN (milk urea nitrogen), respectively. 2. The levels of cholesterol, glucose selenium, vitamin E and MSe tended to increase over time after calving. 3. The estimated correlations among components were negative(-) for cholesterol and p, positive for selenium, and BUN and also positive for BUN and MUN. Glucose showed positive correlations with P and MSe. 4. For factors influencing the changes of components, there were significant differences in glucose and selenium for age, in selenium and vitamin E for parity, in glucose and MSe for milk and in all components except Ca and selenium for feeding grass and hay, respectively. In urea nitrogen, age and parity only showed significant difference in MUN. In conclusion, the results were suggested that changes of blood and milk components depend on feeding during the postpartum. Especially, we could ascertain that selenium in blood and milk is the important factor for the dairy cows after parturition.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.241-257
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• 2000

Autogenous periosteal grafts are an attractive alternative to existing barrier membrane materials since they meet the reqiurements of an ideal material. But no histological data are available on the effectiveness of periosteal membranes in the treatment of periodontal defects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate effect of autogenous periosteal graft on periodontal regeneration histologically. Class II furcation defects were surgically created on the second, third and the fourth premolars bilaterally in the mandibules of six mongrel dogs. The experimental sites were divided into three groups according to the treatment modalities; control group - surgical debridement only; Group I- autogenous periosteal membrane placement after surgical debridement; Group II-autogenous periosteal membrane placement after surgical debridement and bone grafting. The animals were sacrificed at 2, 4 and 12 weeks after periodontal surgery and the decalcified and undecalcified specimens were prepared for histological and histometrical analysis. Clinically all treated groups healed without significant problems. Under light microscope, at 2 weeks, control group showed significant apical epithelial migration and bone remodelling only below the notch area. But for the group I, II with autogenous periosteal graft, less apical migration of epithelium appeared and large amount of osteoid tissue showed above the notch area. Grafted periosteal membrane was indiscernable at 4 weeks, so periosteal membrane might be organized to surrounding tissues. Histometrically, at 4 and 12 weeks, all the test and control groups didn't show significant change of epithelial zone but new attachment level tended to be gained in the test groups than control group. These results suggest that autogenous periosteal grafts should be a good alternative for guided tissue regeneration.

• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.230-235
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• 2015

The experiment was conducted to elucidate the growth characteristics of sorghum in the different planting methods: direct sowing and transplanting (20 days after sowing, DAS). Weed weight was taken from three randomly chosen-2 plots 60 DAS (DAT). One time (20, 30 days after transplanting, DAT) and two times (10/20, 10/30, 20/30, 20/40 DAS) application of weeder machine (FRT 80E) were conducted for direct sowing and transplanting, respectively. In transplanting, the weed control efficacy of weeder machine at 90 DAT was about 67% (DAT 20), 57% (DAT 30) at one time and 87% at two times. The most effective application number was two times (20/40 DAT) followed by one time (20 DAT). However, when reviewing yield and economy, the frequency and times of using weeder machine were preferably one time and 20 DAT. Results with mechanical weed control have been particularly good in transplanted row crops such as sorghum. In direct sowing, the weed control efficacy of weeder machine 60 DAS was about 87% (10/20 DAS), 88% (10/30 DAS) and 82% (20/30 DAS) at two times, respectively. When reviewing yield and economy, the times and frequency of weeder machine were preferably two times, 10 and 30 DAS.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.258-261
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• 2014

A 4-week-old male piglet being maintained in a research facility was found dead without any previous clinical signs. The piglet had been born from a surrogate mother after somatic nuclear transfer as part of a xenotransplantation study. Ovaries for nuclear transfer were obtained from a private farm outside the research facility. Histopathologically, multifocal to coalescing granulomatous myocarditis was observed in the heart, characterized by infiltration of lymphocytes, macrophages and multinucleated giant cells, and by myocardial necrosis and fibrosis. Lymphoid tissues showed marked lymphoid depletion with infiltration by histiocytes or giant cells. Immunohistochemistry showed PCV-2 antigens in necrotic myocytes, macrophages and multinucleated giant cells in the heart, as well as in macrophages and giant cells in lymphoid depleted areas of lymphoid tissues. Reproductive failure associated with PCV-2 in aborted or stillborn piglets is frequently characterized by myocarditis, and similar lesions were observed in this 4-week-old piglet with PCV-2 infection. The PCV-2 infection in this piglet may have been due to contamination or infection of an ovary from the pig farm.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.439-448
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• 2001

This paper considers the acoustical characteristics of the closing click sounds of the mechanical valves employed in an implantable biventricular assist device (BYAD) and their re1evance to the Physical states of the valved. Bj rk Shiley Convexo Concave tilting disk valve was chosen for the study and acoustic measurement was made for the BYAD operated in a mock circulatory system as well as implanted in an animal (sheep). In the BYAD operated in the mock circulatory system. three different states of the valve were examined, ie. normal. mechanically damaged. pseudo-thrombus attached. Microphone measurement for the BVAD implanted in the animal was carried out for five days at a regular time interval from one day after implantation. Characteristic spectrum of the sound from the valve was estimated using Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) in which the optimal order was determined according to Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) . It was observed that the mechanical damage of the valve resulted in changes of the structure of the acoustic spectrum. In contrast. the thrombus formed on the valve did not change much the basic structure of the spectrum but brought about altering the spectral Peak frequencies and energies. Maximum spectral Peak (MSP) with the greatest energy was seen at 2 kHz for the normal valve and it was shifted to 3 kHz for the calve attaching the Pseudo-thrombus. Unlike the normal valve, strong spectral Peak appeared around 7 kHz in the sound from the valve mechanically damaged. In the case of the BYAD implanted in the animal. as the thrombus grew, acoustic energy was reduced relatively more in the low frequency components (〈 2 kHz) and the frequencies of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd MSP were increased little. The thrombus formation would result in reduction in both the variability of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd MSP and the value of the BIC optimal order.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.188-195
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• 2017

Despite the high commercial value of the pine mushroom (Tricholoma matsutake) around the world, its production still depends upon natural harvesting. In recent years, mushroom researchers in Korea and Japan have been successful in artificially cultivating T. matsutake by producing single mushroom through matsutake-infected pine seedlings. In this study, we determined the minimum seedling height required for the survival of matsutake mycelia in the infected pine seedlings in the field. The survival rate of matsutake mycelia in the matsutake-infected pine seedlings was 50% (14) in two years and 71% (10) in one year after their transplantation. The average height at time of transplantation of the matsutake-infected pine seedlings that bore surviving mycelia after transplantation was 25 cm (minimum 12 cm to maximum 40 cm). In conclusion, the matsutake mycelium of matsutake-infected pine seedlings was able to survive in field conditions if the height of the seedling at the time of T. matsutake infection was at least 12 cm. These results suggest that the height of the host plants used in conventional matsutake-infected pine seedling production should be greatly reduced to improve the matsutake cultivation. Therefore, standardization of the seedling height for artificial cultivation of pine mushrooms by the matsutake-infected pine seedling method is suggested.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.58-64
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• 1995

The radial forearm flap was first designed at the Ba-Ba Chung Hospital of People's Republic of China in 1978. The flap consists of the skin of the volar surface of the forearm, the subcutaneous fat, the underlying fascia, and the intramuscular fascia which includes the radial vessels. It is very useful flap in soft tissue coverage of skin defects of the upper and lower extremities. The authors have reported 13 cases of forearm free flap treated in the Korea University Hospital from January 1991 to Jun 1995 with a review of literature. The results were as follows. 1. We had good results in soft tissue coverage for all patients 2. The average size of flaps was $54cm^2$ and the average ischemic time of flaps was 74minutes. 3. The postoprative complication was occurred in three of 13 cases, two of three cases were arterial thrombosis treated with thrombectomy in postoperative 2 days, and one case was venous thrombosis resulted in superficial necrosis of the flap treated with STSG. 4. Forearm free flap with sensory innervation is a good donor site for reconstruction of weight-bearing areas of heel and sole. 5 The forearm free flap is suitable for soft tissue coverage of the upper and lower extremities, and can be used by skillful microsurgeon with high success rate.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.59-67
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• 2015

Galactose-${\alpha}1,3$-galactose (${\alpha}1,3$-Gal) epitope is synthesized at a high concentration on the surface of pig cells by ${\alpha}1,3$-galactosyltransferase gene (GGTA1). The ${\alpha}1,3$-Gal is responsible for hyperacute rejection in pig-to-human xenotransplantation. The generation of transgenic pigs as organ donors for humans is necessary to eliminate the GGTA1 gene that synthesize $Gal{\alpha}$(1,3)Gal. To prevent hyperacute graft rejection in pig-to-human xenotransplantation, previously, we developed ${\alpha}1,3$-galactosyltransferase gene-knock-out somatic cell by homologous recombination. In this study, we established cell lines of ${\alpha}1,3$-GT knock-out expressing hDAF and hHT gene from minipig fibroblasts to apply somatic cell nuclear transfer. The hDAF and hHT mRNA were expressed in the knock-in somatic cells and ${\alpha}1,3$-GT mRNA was suppressed. However, the knock-in somatic cells were increased resistance to human serum-mediated cytolysis.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.199-208
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• 2000

This study was carried out to investigate of factors concerning to ultrasound-guided follicular aspiration; level of vacuum pressure, diameter of use needle, effect of FSH hormone and conception rate after embryos transfer. 1. Oocytes collection number were 4.2$\pm$2.9 e.a to luteuml phase and follicular phase were 4.4$\pm$3.5 e.a to ovaries of Hanwoo. 2. We taked proper level of aspiration vacuum pressure was 40~120 mmHg to oocytes collection. Oocytes collected number were 4.2$\pm$3.2, 4.3$\pm$3.4, 4.5$\pm$3.4 e.a. to 40, 80, 120mmHg, respectively, follicles aspiration rate were 49, 47, 45%. 3. Effect of collection needle diameter was not difference significantly(P＜0.05), oocytes collected number were 4.4$\pm$3.5 e.a to 170 and 3.0$\pm$1.8 e.a to 18G needle, collected oocytes quality were no difference significantly (P＜0.05). 4. Follicles increase number to FSH hormone injection were 6.2$\pm$2.3 e.a to intramuscle and 1.1$\pm$2.7 e.a. to epithelial injection method. 5. Conception rate derived from E.T. was 11.1% to freezing embryos and 46.2% to fresh E.T., difference significantly(P＜0.05).